10.03.2009

Key Management Systems - proxSafe product range

Why Key Management Systems? By Dipl.-Ing. Axel Jeschke Sales & Marketing Manager - Security & Safety at deister electronic

“In times when money is scarce, why should one invest in convenience systems or prestige objects?” Questions like this turn up time and again when discussion turns to key management systems. But the nature of the conversation changes when thoughts turn to the source of the word “key”. Wikipedia says that “A key is an object for opening a lock. The use of keys is an old, but still today very common way to protect against burglary and provide access control. ”Today there are not just mechanical keys, but also  electronic keys which employ RFID technology. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) enables the automatic recognition and localisation of objects or living things and so makes the recording and saving of data substantially easier.

Today modern key management using RFID technology supports without difficulty secure access to premises, the reliable administration of wealth, and the recording and, in a broader sense, use of productive equipment. Here it is not just a matter of key management, but of the security of each individual key. Each key is worth as much as the goods it is securing. For example, if the key for a valuable car or to some offices is kept in a drawer that is accessible to everyone is lost, it is not just the substantial costs for obtaining a replacement and changing the locks that must be covered, the time wasted on these tasks plays a part too. It becomes clear immediately what advantages an electronic key management system offers. It ensures not only that a key is only given to an authorised person, but also that it cannot leave the building unnoticed. Each access is both organised and recorded.

As long as the number of keys and users is can be readily memorised, a mechanical system is normally adequate. Key boards, that is to say mechanical placing systems, which work primarily by “making visible”, are the ideal solution in such cases. As the number of users rises and trust in the care devoted to the use of keys dwindles, key books or Excel tables tend to be added. But here the data are still entered manually and human beings enter the process chain as “uncertainty factors”.

And that is the heart of the problem. It is a matter of assigning responsibilities, of knowing who was driving the company car when it was dented, of sharing costs for a meeting room according to who uses it.

Today identity cards that require contact for reading are increasingly being replaced by RFID transponder technology, such as are already familiar from access control. These have the advantage that they are maintenance-free, because they require no special care. In systems currently available, these RFID identity cards are attached to the key with an anti-tamper seal. They are waterproof and, due to their non-contact operation, there is no limit to their reuse (no wear).

User identification takes place at terminals, which either have buttons, or are also equipped with card readers.

Depending on individual needs, software packages can be simple standalone solutions or complex, network-based process models. Small systems that do not have a permanent connection to a computer network can be operated as standalone units. Any desired number of key systems can be run from a single server. The user interface is clear and intuitive for the operator. It can be set up individually for each user and equipped with various authorisation levels.

Modern key management systems are modular and extendable as required. They have open interfaces and are compatible with all popular systems. They can be integrated without difficulty into existing systems. Such systems are functional as soon as they have been connected.

Drawer and compartment systems are designed to keep keys safe, but can also be used for tools, documents and other articles. At car rental companies either keys or vehicle documents can be kept in storage compartments. Here too the return of a key is generally recorded not just by opening a compartment, but by the content as well to ensure exoneration of the user.

It is not just keys whose removal and return can be recorded in this way, but any type of object that is used by more than one person. These include service laptops in aircraft maintenance, or access to PNAs or weapons for prison warders. Responsibilities can be assigned and tracked.

A further example shows how, with the careful administration of a vehicle pool, the costs can be directly assigned to the appropriate departments according to usage. This eliminates the need to distribute costs based on assessments. As a result of the open interfaces of modern administration systems, it is normal to integrate them with existing time registration software. Because no additional software is needed and calculations are already carried out, additional potential can be exploited.

The basis, however, for any key management or storage system is a concrete, precise process definition which can be modelled. Only when it is clear how much time the employees concerned with the issue and return of keys can save, can a basis for investment be established. Say, for example, the issue of 30 keys for a department is recorded with the aid of a key book. The issue and return, including the time to note who has taken which key and when, and the time for that person to sign the key out and in again, will be between two and three minutes of working time (assuming they don't discuss the weather as well). The result is that 60 to 90 minutes working time are used in this way every day. That is to say about 30 valuable working hours a month, which could certainly be used more effectively than for handling keys. And of course this does not include any allowance for following up missing keys or their misuse, nor any associated reduction in the value of property.

The field of applications for modern key management systems extends far beyond the mere issue and return of keys. Rather, the emphasis is on the efficient use of existing resources in building management, logistics and transport departments, outpatient nursing services, internal emergency services, and for security service providers, so that key management has become an integral component of modern facility management.